Türkiye suspends all trade with Israel — RT World News

The Turkish government has suspended all forms of trade with Israel in response to the Gaza war, the Trade Ministry in Ankara said in a statement posted on social media on Thursday.

Türkiye has been one of Israel's harshest critics since the conflict with Hamas erupted in October. All export and import operations were suspended in response to the Jewish state's decision “The aggression against Palestine is a violation of international law and human rights.” Read the statement.

The document added that Ankara will strictly implement the new measures until Israel allows an uninterrupted and sufficient flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza. The United Nations and human rights groups accuse Israel of obstructing the delivery of aid to the Strip. The ministry said that Turkish officials will coordinate with the Palestinian Authority to ensure that Palestinians are not affected by the suspension of trade.

The full suspension follows restrictions imposed by Ankara last month on exports to Israel of 54 categories of products including construction materials, machinery and various chemical products. Türkiye had previously stopped sending any goods that could be used for military purposes to Israel.

In response to the recent restrictions, the Israeli Foreign Ministry accused the Turkish leadership of… “Ignoring international trade agreements.” Foreign Minister Israel Katz took to X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday to make the announcement “Closing the ports to Israeli imports and exports” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was behaving like a “dictator”. Israel will strive to do so “Creating alternatives” To trade with Türkiye with a focus on “Local production and import from other countries” Katz added.

Israel declared war on Hamas in October in response to the armed group's deadly raid in which at least 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 were taken hostage. The retaliatory bombing and ground operation in Gaza killed nearly 35,000 people, according to the Strip's Ministry of Health.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly compared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler. Last month, he accused Israel of outdoing the Nazi leader by killing 14,000 children in Gaza.

Meanwhile, Israel has claimed that the Turkish president is among the worst anti-Semites in history, due to his stance on the conflict and his support for Hamas.